In view of epidemic crime there is a great need for a convenient, effective and inexpensive device for securing small valuable items such as jewelry, currency, and the like, against theft. There is also a need for suitable means for storing small items such as keys, access cards and computer access codes to which access must be limited to only authorized individuals. It is also desirable that such safekeeping means be portable and lockable to a fixed structure.
Conventional means for addressing these needs include the use of the so-called key safes and lock boxes such as shown in Williams, U.S. Pat. No. 3,084,532, Piche, U.S. Pat. No. 3,979,932 and Barrett, U.S. Pat. No. 3,436,937, which devices generally have a housing with means for mounting to a door knob or other fixed article and having a releasable cover providing access to an interior compartment which cover is locked thereto by a key or combination operated lock. One of the drawbacks of these approaches is that access to the safe interior provides one with the ability to release the shackle that mounts the safe to a fixed structure. This permits theft of the device by an individual who has obtained unauthorized access to the safe key or combination. Another drawback of conventional devices is that they tend to be specially designed for key stowing and do not have a general applicability for a variety of small items.